Townhall: Last Year’s Gun Control Sit-in May Have Democrats in Hot Water With Ethics Committee

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The House Ethics Committee has its eye on Reps. John Lewis (D-GA) and Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) after fielding concerns from the watchdog the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust. The watchdog group filed a complaint in June 2016 against Lujan, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, for his participation in a 25-hour sit-in demanding votes on gun control. He and his colleagues were guilty of using the House resources for political purposes, FACT charged. For instance, during the protest, Lujan’s campaign sent out emails to supporters asking for donations.

“There can be no doubt that the sit-in and voting on a bill are actions taken in the Members’ official capacity,” FACT explained in its complaint. “The emails directly tie the sit-in and holding a vote on a bill to a solicitation for a contribution, and some include official House Television images.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan also noticed the Democrats’ untoward behavior at the time, shaming them for trying to fundraise off of a political stunt.

Then, this past January, FACT filed a complaint against another Democratic representative, John Lewis. Lewis was mentioned in their complaint about the gun control protest, but FACT had a separate concern about the Georgia representative for reportedly allowing his Chief of Staff Michael Collins to act as both his campaign treasurer and chief of staff.